Dillon was in his first band, "The Fugitives," at 15. Admittedly not the best musician at the time, it sure beat mowing lawns which is what he was doing. And it's all because Dillon picked up a nice Les Paul guitar.

"That got me in the band right away," he said.

And he never looked back, eventually recording five CDs and performing with Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and others such as Sting, Joe Cocker, Buddy Guy

and King.

Obviously, the Marin Country resident has done some things right. Wrong? Let's go back to the 1980s while he played with

The Edge.

"I think the worst (music) decision I made was with that band," Dillon said. "We signed a deal with a club owner."

Dillon laughs at the train wreck choice.

"It was a bad idea," Dillon said. "He came back to bite us on the butt. It was a difficult decision that we were tied to. You don't sign a deal with a club owner who wants to be

your manager."

Dillon also learned to not "be in a big hurry to sign things. And don't be afraid to get a second opinion. Quite often that second opinion will give you the brutal truth. And stick to your guns."

It took Dillon maybe a dozen years to realize that he was darn good at doing guitar workshops.

"I had always been a performing composer and touring and recording musician," he said. "When I was living in Europe, I started doing workshops. And saw that a lot of people need that face-to-face, one-on-one stuff."

So he started the Blue Star Music Camp "that was a teaching ground for me."

Dillon thrives on "encouraging people to find their own voice" at the camp.

"I think that's the part that's lacking today, especially in education," he said.

Sure, fame and fortune might be dandy, but it's about the playing first, Dillon said.

"Craft is No. 1," he said. "And the rest will follow. And don't try and outthink the market. That's always been a disaster for me. I follow my instincts. So far, that's worked for me."